• Published 26th Jul 2012
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Wings for a Pony 2 - Brawney Hooves

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Chapter 4

*Five Years Later*

“Bolt, hold still!” Firefly grumbled as she tried to hold her squirming ten year old son.

“It itches, mom!” Bolt complained as he reached his head back and nibbled at his right wing.

“Well if you would hold still then I could preen you.” Firebolt stopped biting his wing and tried his best to hold still. His mother lowered her head and scanned for any loose feathers; when she saw one she grabbed the feather with her teeth and gave a small tug. Firebolt gave a relived sigh as the feather popped free.

“Oh, sweet Celestia that feels good!” Bolt groaned as he flexed his wing.

“Bolt watch your language!" Firefly scolded.

"But it feels so good." Bolt sighed.

"Well, you’ll have to keep holding still Bolt. I still see at least two other feathers.” Firefly continued preening him as Clay walked in, shaking his head slightly at the display before him.

“Hey dad!” Bolt called out as he spotted his father.

“Hey son. Have either of you seen Star anywhere?” Clay asked them.

“I think she’s in her room,” his wife replied as she tugged on another crimson feather and placed it in a small pile beside her.

“Ow!” Bolt shouted.

“Oh don’t be such a baby! I preen myself all the time and it doesn’t hurt,” his mother scolded.

Clay left the room and headed upstairs to his children’s room. When he reached the door he knocked three times.

“It’s open!” a filly’s voice called out.

Clay opened the door to reveal a small bedroom with two distinctly different halves. On one side was a pink wall lined with posters showing magic demonstrations in Canterlot for new spells, some performed by her great Aunt Twilight. The floor was littered with books, and one book was left open on the bed as if someone had been reading it. The other half of the room was blue, with posters of Wonderbolts on the walls. The bed was disheveled and untidy, unlike the other bed across from it. Clay walked in and spotted Star, now ten years old, sitting down and looking into a mirror as she brushed her mane with a brush held in her red aura.

“Hi Daddy!” Star said cheerfully as she continued to perfect her mane.

“Hi sweetheart.” Clay walked up beside her and looked to her as she set the brush down.

“Dad… do you and Mommy really have to go to work today?” Star asked her father with a sad look in her red eyes.

“Sorry Star, but we have to start making some money around here, and your Aunt Applejack needs help with the harvest. After all, cider season is coming up and I always make sure your grandmother gets some.” Star looked at him with a puzzled frown.

“Grandma always gets so excited when cider season comes up.” She stood up and turned to her father. “She always gets this look in her eye, and it kind of creeps me and Bolt out.”

“It’s good cider,” Clay replied as they began leaving the room.

“Hey! Maybe I can help you with the apple bucking today. That way we can spend the whole day together!” Star said, sounding hopeful.

“Sorry Star, but you’re still too young to start apple bucking,” Clay replied to the slightly sad-looking Star.

“I could use my magic to pick the apples,” Star suggested.

“Uh… sorry sweetie, but Aunt Applejack likes to do things the earth pony way when it comes to working.” Clay and Star made their way down the stairs and met up with Bolt and Firefly.

“Honey, can you keep an eye on the kids while I get dressed for work?” Firefly asked.

“Sure thing.” Firefly flew upstairs while Clay took the opportunity to spend some time with his kids while he could.

“Hey Dad? Are you going to watch me when I try to fly with Mom?” Bolt asked.

“You bet. I wouldn’t miss your first flight for anything,” Clay replied with a grin.

“Only if he can get off the ground this time,” Star snickered.

“Yeah, well Grandma says that once I get my wings going I’ll be all over the place! And you’ll be stuck down here in the dirt!” He stuck his tongue out at his sister and she returned the gesture.

“Hey! Knock it off you two!” Clay scolded.

“Yes Dad,” they said in unison.

After several minutes Firefly flew downstairs wearing her navy blue Wonderbolt jumpsuit with a pair of slightly battered goggles on her head. As Clay reached past her to put on his Stanton hat Star walked up to her mother, peering at her goggles curiously.

“Hey Mom, why do you wear those goggles?” she asked.

“Well, when your father proposed to me he gave me these goggles that same night, to wear when I started training with the Wonderbolts.” She took them off her head and showed them to her kids.

“They look old,” Bolt said, noticing a few scratches on the lenses.

“They belonged to your father’s biological mother, and he wanted me to have them.” She placed the goggles back on her head. “And I’ve been wearing them ever since.” She smiled as she looked back at Clay, who now was wearing his cowpony hat.

“Ready to go?” he asked her.

“Yeah I’m ready,” she replied.

“Hey! Who’s foalsitting us while you two are gone?” Star asked, looking slightly worried.

“Your Uncle Sky and Aunt Dinky are watching you this time, since me and your grandmother are working today,” Firefly answered.

“Alright! Uncle Sky and Aunt Dinky are the best!” Bolt said excitedly.

Within seconds there was a soft knock at the door.

“That must be them now.” Clay opened the door and was greeted by Sky and Dinky.

“Yay! Aunt Dinky and Uncle Sky!” The two foals ran up to the stallion and mare, giving them tight hugs.

“Nice to see you guys too!” Dinky chuckled while Sky ruffled Bolt’s mane. After they released their aunt and uncle, Bolt and Star stood at attention while saluting Sky.

“Private Firebolt reporting for duty sir!” the colt shouted.

“Private Evening Star also reporting for duty sir!” Star added, while Sky saluted them back.

“At ease,” Sky replied.

“What are our orders Sergeant Sky Tearer?” Bolt said in a loud voice.

“Orders are to go upstairs and decide what you want to do today.”

“Sir yes sir!” they shouted in unison and then ran upstairs, giggling the whole way.

“Ah, kids,” Sky sighed as he watched them run to their rooms.

“Thanks for coming, you two,” Firefly said to Dinky.

“It’s no trouble. I love spending time with the kids,” Dinky replied, smiling.

“I’m just glad I can get a break from the military routine. Prince Shining has been making sure that all of us are keeping a close eye on Ponyville. And truth be told… my wings are killing me,” Sky groaned as he flexed his back.

“Well you won’t get much time to relax with those two. They can be balls of pure energy sometimes,” Clay replied.

“Anyway, we’d better be going; your mother gets testy when one of us is late.” Firefly and Clay started to leave when suddenly they heard Star and Bolt running down the stairs.

“What are you two doing back down here?” Sky asked curiously.

“We forgot to say goodbye to Mom and Dad,” Star answered.

“I knew we’d forgotten something,” Firefly muttered.

Clay and Firefly walked back to their children, giving them tight hugs which they returned in kind.

“We’ll miss you Mom and Dad,” Bolt said, hugging his mother tightly.

“We’ll miss you guys too,” Clay whispered as they gave Star and then Bolt quick kisses on their heads. Reluctantly they let their children go, thanked Dinky and Sky once again, and left the house. Star and Bolt looked out a nearby window to see their mother and father give each other a kiss goodbye, making the two foals groan in disgust as they saw her fly off into the sky and him walk down the road to Sweet Apple Acres.

As Bolt and Star watched their parents disappear from view they let out sad sighs; seeing their unhappy dispositions Sky and Dinky tried to think of something to cheer them up.

“Ummm… what do you two want to play?” Dinky asked.

“We can play fortress!” Bolt shouted, his sadness vanishing instantly.

“Yeah, we love playing fortress!” Star said excitedly.

“Uncle Sky is on my team!” Bolt shouted.

“And Aunt Dinky is on mine!” Star shouted back.

Each foal ran to their team-mate’s side, quickly built makeshift fortresses from nearby furniture and then ran up to their rooms to put on their toy jousting armor to add authenticity. When the preparations were complete, the two siblings sat in their fortresses with their aunt and uncle as their soldiers.

“You call that a fortress?! It’s made out of couch cushions!” Star shouted at her brother.

“Like books are any better!” Bolt shouted back.

“I’ll take down you and your pathetic fort, airhead!” Star challenged.

“Bring it on, nerd!” Bolt shouted as he threw a pillow at his sister. The pillow however was soon caught by a red aura and sent flying back at Sky and Bolt. “Hey! No magic!” Bolt shouted angrily.

“You never said we couldn’t!” Star turned to Dinky. “Pass me a pillow, Private Dinky!”

“Yes ma’am!” Dinky gave her niece a nearby pillow, which she took in her hoof and tossed at her brother’s fortress, causing one of the ‘wall’ cushions to sag slightly.
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The fight continued for ten minutes as they tossed pillows at each other; occasionally the two would make temporary peace to retrieve more ammo, only to start the fight all over again soon thereafter. At some point the tides of battle had changed, putting Bolt in the lead with his Aunt Dinky as his prisoner of war.

“It’s all over Sister! You have no soldiers and you’re out of cannon balls! I suggest you surrender before I destroy you!” Bolt shouted confidently.

“In your dreams, booger eater!” Star called back.

“I only did that once!” Bolt shouted angrily. “Sergeant Sky, would you like to help me destroy her fort?”

“Yes, General Firebolt! And if I may sir, I would like to request that the prisoner come with me when we win.” Bolt turned to his uncle with a confused expression.

“Why?”

“For a ‘private’ interrogation.” Bolt smirked.

“Yes, a soldier of the unicorn kingdom deserves no less.” Sky looked to his wife.

“Don’t worry milady, I won’t be… too rough.” Dinky elbowed him in the ribs as she blushed slightly.

“Any last words?!” Bolt asked as he and Sky held their ammo.

“Unicorns rule!” Star shouted defiantly.

“Not today they don’t! Fire!” Bolt and Sky hurled their pillows at Star’s dilapidated fortress, their victory assured. However, before the missiles could impact, Star’s horn glowed red and the two pillows stopped in midair before being launched back to hit Bolt and Sky squarely in their faces. The two pegasi fell backwards in a tangle and the whole fort came crashing down around them, ending the game.

“Yes!” Star shouted as she hopped up and down. Sky and Bolt emerged from the destroyed fortress shaking their heads as Dinky ran up to Star and slapped a hoof against hers. “I won! I won! I won! I won!” Star shouted happily.

“Only because you cheated!” Bolt said angrily, trotting up to his sister. “You used your magic to win!” Bolt was scowling at his sister intensely.

“You never said I couldn’t,” Star said sticking her tongue out at him.

“I won that battle and you know it!” Bolt shouted, his face contorted with anger.

“Come on Bolt, be a good sport,” Sky said trying to defuse the situation.

“No! She cheated and she knows it!” Bolt screamed, bringing his face closer to Star’s.

“You’re such a sore loser, Bolt!” Star said, starting to get angry.

“I don’t mind losing if its fair, and I would have won if she hadn’t uses her magic on our pillows!”

“Well it doesn’t matter, because I won, so there!” Star retorted.

“You didn’t win! You cheated!” Bolt was starting to turn a darker shade of red as he glared at his sister.

“Well I’m older so I win!”

“Only by one month! And that doesn’t make any sense!” Bolt shouted.

“You’re just mad because I can use magic and you can’t even fly yet!” Star teased. “You’re just a… a… big rooster!” Bolt looked taken aback by what his sister had said.

“Take that back right now!”

“No! You’re a big fat rooster!” Star continued.

“Star, that’s enough,” Dinky said, trying to get them to stop, while Bolt stood there fuming.

“Well…well…” he stuttered while Star smirked. “Well Mom and Dad love me more because I’m their real son!”

At that second the room went quiet as Star stared at Bolt, dumbstruck. At first Bolt smirked as he realized he had won; but his face soon fell when he saw his sister’s expression begin to tremble. He looked at her silently as large tears fell from her eyes and onto the hard floor.

“Wait, Star… I didn’t mean…” He tried to speak, but he never got the chance to finish as Star vanished in a bright red light.

“I’ll go find her,” Dinky said as she too vanished with a bright flash.
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Dinky reappeared outside Clay and Firefly’s home. She followed the trail of magic residue with her own magical senses and soon spotted Star sitting under a tree, letting out heartbroken sobs. Dinky slowly approached the little unicorn and sat down beside her.

“Star, it’s okay, Bolt didn’t mean it.” Star looked up at Dinky with tear-filled eyes.

“But it’s true!” she cried. “Mom and Dad love him more because I’m adopted!” She hung her head and let out a heart-wrenching sob.

“That’s not true! Your mom and dad love you very much!”

“But I’m not…” she sobbed again, “I’m not their real daughter! How can they love me just as much as Bolt? Especially when I just end up hurting them!” Star cried uncontrollably.

“What do you mean?” Dinky asked, confused.

Star looked up at Dinky. “When… when I get angry, or scared, or… when I really want something to stop, my magic becomes dangerous and I can’t control it.” Star rested her head on Dinky’s chest as Dinky started stroking her silvery mane. “One time, when I was five, Dad tickled me when we were playing. I begged him to stop but he wouldn’t listen, and before I knew it I threw him against the wall with my magic! I could have really hurt him!” Star let out another sob.

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m sure your dad knew it was an accident,” Dinky reassured her.

“He told me he knew… but… I didn’t want to hurt him. I don’t want to hurt anypony.”

“I know you don’t sweetie, but sometimes accidents happen.” Star started to calm down, but still let out an occasional sniffle.

“Firebolt is right. Mom and Dad will never love me as much as they love him.”

“Star, look at me.” Dinky lifted Star up and turned her head to look her in the eye. “Your mom and dad love you both very much. I don’t think I’ve seen your dad as happy as when he is with you. And I know that they would face Discord himself to make sure you and your brother were safe.” Star didn’t look convinced. “Star… I don’t think your dad would have kept you if he didn’t think he could love you as much as Bolt. So trust me when I tell you that what Bolt said couldn’t be further from the truth.” Star looked into her aunt’s eyes for a brief moment and then she flung her forelegs around Dinky in a tight hug.

“Thank you Aunt Dinky,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome sweetie.” As they sat there in the tight embrace, they heard hoofsteps behind them. They turned their heads to see Bolt trotting up to them. Dinky released Star and then stood up to walk back in the house. Bolt approached his sister, his steps faltering as she turned her back to him.

“Star… I…” He swallowed nervously as Star continued to give him the cold shoulder. “I’m sorry,” Bolt whispered as he hung his head in shame. Star turned her head slightly and was surprised to see tears in his eyes. She was startled by this because she had never seen her brother cry before, not even when he hurt himself, so she could only think that his apology was sincere. Star trotted over to her brother and stared at him silently while he watched in anticipation. Finally she threw her forelegs around him in a tight hug.

“I forgive you,” she whispered as Bolt returned the hug.

“I’m so sorry about what I said. You were right, I was jealous.” The two siblings let go of each other and traded smiles through teary eyes.

“I’m sorry too Bolt. I shouldn’t have called you a rooster. And I know that someday… you’ll be a great flyer.”

“Thanks sis… that means a lot,” Bolt replied, his smile growing.

The two foals gave each other another hug and then walked back into their home.
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The night sky was calm and peaceful, though a cold breeze rushed through the trees as Clay trotted home, his back legs throbbing with pain. As he saw Ponyville in the distance his hat was suddenly pulled down over his eyes; he started to panic until he felt a pair of lips press against his.

“Guess who?” Clay smirked as he pushed his hat up from his eyes and found himself looking at his wife’s smiling face.

“I hate it when you do that,” Clay muttered as he gave her a kiss of his own. Soon the small hello kiss began to become more passionate as their tongues snaked into each other’s mouths. “Mmm… wait… we should save this for when we get home,” Clay protested as he pulled back.

“But it’s such a beautiful night out. Don’t you want to… take full advantage of it?” Firefly gave him a sly smile.

“Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time we had a moment like this? And how you ordered me never to put you through it again?”

“Fine,” Firefly huffed as she trotted beside him. “So… how was your day?” she asked.

“Long and tiring… and I can’t feel my back legs.” He winced. “What about you?”

“Same, only I can’t feel my wings,” Firefly replied.

“Did my mom make it back okay?”

“Yeah, Rainbow’s fine. She’s tough Clay, give her some credit.”

“Sorry. I just worry about her sometimes, you know?”

“I know.”

Clay and Firefly finally reached their home and unlocked the front door. As they walked inside they found Dinky and Sky sleeping soundly in a chair, holding each other in a loving embrace. Clay cleared his throat.

“Mmm… wha…?” Dinky opened her eyes and saw Clay and Firefly looking at them. “Oh… hi… um, Sky, I think it’s time for us to leave.” She nudged Sky awake and got off the chair.

“Sorry… I guess the kids wore us out,” Sky admitted.

“Don’t worry about it - Clay and I have done the same thing from time to time when playing with them,” Firefly replied.

“Thanks. Anyway, we should get going.” Dinky and Sky bid Clay and Firefly goodbye and headed for home.

“Where do you think the kids are?” Clay asked as he placed his hat on the nearby rack. Firefly removed the hood and goggles of her uniform and walked into the living room, when suddenly she gasped.

“Clay… look at this,” she whispered.

Clay trotted to her side to look into the living room, and his heart melted at what he saw. Star and Bolt had built a large fortress in the center of the room; at the top was a flag that said ‘Fort Evening Star and Firebolt'. Underneath the flag were Bolt and Star, sleeping beside each other and holding one another in their forelegs.

“Would you look at that,” Clay whispered. “That’s the first time they’ve ever shared a fort.”

“What do you think made them do it?” Firefly asked, to which Clay simply shrugged.

Clay and Firefly carefully lifted their children onto their backs and carried them up to their bedroom. Firefly placed Star into her bed and Clay placed Bolt into his, then they both kissed each foal on their foreheads before leaving for their own bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind them.